The CDC says REPEXH02, a newly discovered strain of E. coli, is often behind deadly outbreaks linked to leafy greens such as romaine lettuce.
According to the new study, 58 percent of recent E. coli illnesses were attributed to vegetable row crops, largely leafy greens. In 2019, a large outbreak caused 167 cases and hospitalized 85 people from 27 states. It was associated with the consumption of romaine lettuce from Salinas Valley, Calif. In another outbreak in late 2020, 40 infections occurred in 19 states, 20 people were hospitalized and four developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.
There are several reasons for an uptick in outbreaks related to leafy greens, said Bill Marler, a foodborne illness lawyer and star of Netflix’s new documentary “Poisoned,” which examines the U.S. food industry and its history of foodborne illness outbreaks.“There are more and more people wanting products like triple-washed bagged lettuce, but bagged salad is a great vector for E.coli growth,” he said.
And with the current regulatory system, federal agencies in charge of food safety “aren’t allowed to go onto these feedlots and do any kind of testing to help them get a sense for the source of these outbreaks. They can only take educated guesses, which limits their ability to find the source and to recall products,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports. “In the current system, there is not much water testing, much of it a voluntary basis.
Chen says that investigating REP strains will hopefully provide the CDC opportunities to partner with regulatory agencies, academia and industry to better understand how these strains cause illnesses over long periods and how to prevent them in the future.
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